How to easily bend the wire on a new crutch??

[slattery51]

Can any one tell me how to make the bends in a new crutch wire?? Mine always come out looking like they were chewed on!!! Unsightly, the wire is very brittle on the new ones I buy, last night I went to bend one, and the wire broke off immediately. This is one area I could really use some help in… the other is I had to put in a new verge pin, and it seems to come loose no matter what I do. If I try and use a riveting technique to expand it, the blue steel is to hard, and I bend it regardless….. Someone pleas help me as I am on the VERGE….of throwing this OG movement back where it came from..LOL thanks all Dave S.

[stevefitzwater]

Not sure if this will help you with the wire bending, but somewhere I seen one of these, so I made a set for myself, took a flat screw driver and filed a slot into the center of the blade, the slot is slightly bigger then the wires I am looking to bend (hammers), I made TWO of these of each size I have needed, cheap flat screwdrivers are not had to find, and they made some very nice wire bending tools, the reason for two is in tight spots, I use one to hold the wire and the other to bend the wire, thus controlling where I want the bend at.

Now you say you are using steel for the crutch.. most crutches I have dealt with are brass and thus easy to bend/shape as needed, and the riveting is easy, not saying steel is not correct, but I just have never dealt with one.

[slattery51]

Hey Steve, thanks for the tip, with the wire bending tool, I guess I never thought of using them for the crutch, but will certainly try this out tomorrow… the next thing is , the crutch wire is of course brass, but what I am talking about is the steel pin the verge rocks on…. the old OG works pin, is out and I am trying to put in a new one…I have tried to close the hole a little, and friction fit a new steel pin in. It stays tight for a short time but eventually becomes loose, and then the pallets won’t stay even on the escape wheel.. sounds like a simple fix, perhaps I need to a soft type of metal pin, but then it would be easy to bend, and I am right back to square one,,, anyway I”ll keep plugging a way…. best regards Dave.

[stevefitzwater]

try a bit of shellac

[jspenard]

Hi Steve,

Although I am fairly new to this trade, I’ve had the same frustrating issue. I got some good advice from the nice gentleman at Mile High Clock Supplies. Try using a pair of “round nose pliers” and practice on some old wire. That seems to have worked best for me. I hope this helps. Have a great day and keep on ticking! John

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